


Prank of Storms

by inks_awakening



Category: Linked Universe - Fandom, The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Dinnertime Conversations, Domestic Fluff, Epona's Song, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda), Lon Lon Ranch, Pranks and Practical Jokes, Song of Storms
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-30
Updated: 2020-05-30
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:42:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24450778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inks_awakening/pseuds/inks_awakening
Summary: After returning to the safety of Lon Lon Ranch, Time plays a prank which leads to him opening up more to the other heroes.This work was inspired by Jojo56830’s LinkedUniverse over on Tumblr.
Relationships: Four & Hyrule & Legend & Sky & Time & Twilight & Warriors & Wild & Wind (Linked Universe), Link/Malon (Legend of Zelda), Malon (Legend of Zelda)/Time (Linked Universe)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 180





	Prank of Storms

The sun shown softly upon the Ranch house, with its intensity waning ever softer as twilight approached. Our heroes had been fortunate to find themselves in Time’s Hyrule where they could slow down and take a well-deserved rest after their latest battle. With the chores having been completed, the heroes had attempted to head inside and help with dinner, yet Malon shooed the majority of them outside to enjoy themselves. Only the large number of people she needed to cook for and the Hero of the Wild’s status as the best chef of the lot prevented her from sending him outside to relax with the other seven young heroes. Having newly arrived at the ranch, her husband would be a fixture by her side, barely straying from sight until at least three nights had passed to reassure himself he was actually home.

However, he was still banned from cooking after what happened the last time he helped cook dinner. Instead, she felt his loving gaze on her back from where he sat at the table, shaping an ocarina from clay while he watched the two of them work in a comfortable silence, rarely interspersed with short phrases such as “Excuse me!” “Thank you!” and “Can you give that pot a stir?”

As dinner neared completion, Time set his project off to the side and covered it with a damp cloth before beginning to set the table. After finishing, Malon asked, “Could you call everyone in for dinner Hun?”

“Of course, Darling!” he replied with a flirtatious wink, causing both of them to burst out laughing while the Hero of the Wild looked on in confusion. After composing themselves, Malon began regaling the younger hero with the story of the lovey dovey castle town couple and how indignant they had been when she and Time mimicked the couple’s PDA while within their sight.

* * *

Meanwhile, Time stalked towards the door, an unholy grin appearing on his face. Here, in the safety of his home, he could shed the image of the stoic leader for a short time and share some of the mischief engrained in him by growing up surrounded by immortal children. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a small blue instrument; the faithful Ocarina of Time that accompanied him in that dark future when he was sixteen yet nine, and whose magic allowed him to turn back time over and over again to save the land of Termina. He slowly pushed open the door, minding the hinges (Did he need to oil them?) whose slight creak was thankfully not loud enough to call the other heroes’ attention to his exit (Yes, he did). Steeping outside onto the worn dirt path between the house and the barn, Time gauged the location of the seven remaining heroes.

They were clustered on the dirt road at the entrance to the farm; perfect for pranking the lot of them. Thankfully, the animals had been put away for the night about an hour ago, so his plan could go off without getting the animals involved. Malon would kill him if the Cuccos got their bedding wet since she had just changed it earlier that day, or worse she would make _him_ change it. A shiver ran down his spine at the thought of such a fate, before Time returned his focus to the task at hand. His protege and the captain appeared to be… wrestling? and kicking up a lot of dust while the Hero of Winds, Hero of the Four Sword, Hero of Legend, Hero of Hyrule, and the Chosen Hero sat on the sidelines, watching the match. Wind’s enthusiasm could not be matched as he watched Twilight pick Warrior up and slam his back into the dirt, and money appeared to change hands between Four and Legend. Hyrule wrung his hands, anxious about possible injury, and Sky closely examined the match, curious about this foreign form of combat.

With the opponents’ attention fixed on each other and the spectators’ backs to him, there could be no more perfect set up. Time rested the open door against his side and lifted the ocarina to his lips, playing a short melody before darting back inside as the door closed behind him.

Thunder cracked and the heavens opened up.

Sparing a few seconds to revel in the other heroes’ confused shouts, Time quickly schooled his features, expertly forcing his prankster’s grin into a more neutral expression as he gleefully walked to the entryway of the kitchen before turning to watch the chaos. Not a second too soon the door reopened, nearly slamming into the wall as seven heroes barreled into the house, sopping wet. Legend and Four led the race, with the advantage of both natural speed and the Pegasus boots, though the others weren’t far behind. However, Warrior came in last, having fallen victim to an unintentional side effect to the prank; he was covered in the mud that quickly formed on the dirt part leading up to Lon Lon Ranch. (He must not have gotten up before the storm hit. Time would make sure to offer to help get the stains out as an apology, regardless of whether his prank was revealed.) Schooling his features, he deadpanned, “How convenient you all came running inside. I was just coming to get you all for dinner.”

For a moment, silence reigned as the seven heroes processed Time’s statement. He savored their stunned expressions, before pandemonium broke out. Each Link shared their account of the sudden storm, speaking over each other such that no one hero’s statement could be understood in its entirety.

“It came out of—”

“—raining like cats and dogs—”

“—my clothes are soaked!”

“—never seen a storm hit—”

“There wasn’t a cloud—”

“—hit so suddenly!”

“—covered in mud!”

“What happened?” Malon and Wild surfaced from the kitchen at the commotion, cutting off any further discussion for the moment. They peered at the group of heroes from either side of Time, before pausing and taking in the heroes’ appearances. After shaking off their surprise, Wild returned a hastily drawn Thunderblade to his Sheikah Slate as Malon continued, “Why don’t you all change out of those wet clothes before you catch a cold. You can explain what happened during supper.”

The group quickly dispersed to follow her instructions, with Wild escaping back to the kitchen to place the finishing touches on the meal.

* * *

Once everyone left the entryway, Malon crossed her arms and gave a stern look to Time, who had since grabbed a mop and began drying up the floor. “I assume the storm they were talking about was your doing, Link.”

“Oh! My beloved wife! How could you accuse me so!” The hero protested his innocence, laying a hand across his forehead and looking at his wife with a forlorn expression.

Malon could not help but giggle at her husband’s dramatics, which started the Hero of Time laughing until he was forced to use the mop as support when the full hilarity of his prank overtook him. However, she quickly collected herself. “Have you told them about your adventures?”

At her question, Time managed to compose himself, returning to his full height from being bent near double. “I haven’t told them much. They know about a few of my tamer masks,” he answered. “And during a discussion about our fiercest enemies I mentioned that I fought the moon; though none of them could tell that I was actually serious.”

“Are you planning to tell them about the Song of Storms in the least? Or do we need to come up with some excuse for that storm?”

“I am going to tell them. Will you help me bring it up?” Time placed the mop by the door before offering his wife an arm, turning to head back into the kitchen.

“With pleasure,” she replied, taking his arm and allowing him to guide her to the table.

* * *

After Malon and Time entered the kitchen, it gradually filled as the heroes returned wearing a dry change of clothes. Warrior was last, since he had to clean off mud in addition to drying rainwater.

“Missed a spot Soldier Boy!” Legend teased.

“Where?” Warrior began aggressively swiping his face with his sleeve. “I thought I got it all!”

“He’s just kidding. You got all of it.” Sky reassured the soldier, causing him to send a dark glower toward the Hero of Legend.

With that short argument, the party was complete and they were able to resume supper without further delay. Midway through the meal, the dinner table had filled with conversation before Warrior asked, “What was up with that storm earlier Old Man?” This stopped the other various dinner conversations in their tracks, as all were curious about the sudden storm.

Four’s eyes took on a violet tint as he wondered, “Is it normal for storms to come out of nowhere like that one did? There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, but all of a sudden it started raining buckets. Nothing like that happened last time we were here.”

“Only when my husband is around.” Malon answered cryptically.

The group was taken aback. “What do you mean by that?” Hyrule questioned.

“During my adventures, I learned a number of magical songs. Some allow teleportation to specific places, one turns the day to night and night to day. Others are used to manipulate time. But yet another song is used to summon storms…” Time trailed off with a smirk.

“THAT WAS YOU!” Many of the heroes shouted similar sentiments in unison, with Warrior’s voice the loudest. “It will take forever to clean all the mud out of my clothes!” He complained.

“Who knew the Old Man was such a prankster!” Legend crowed, delighted by this new revelation.

“I was raised by immortal children. I think it would be more surprising if I wasn’t.” Time scooped more of his wife’s cooking onto his plate before redirecting his attention to Warrior. “I’d be willing to help clean the mud off your clothes. I only meant for you to get wet, not muddy.”

Before Warriors could open his mouth, Wind and Legend butted in. “Can you tell us more about the songs you learned? And play them for us?” “Wait, ‘immortal children’?”

“Well, I won’t be playing them now, we’re in the middle of dinner!” Time admonished, and Wind rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “But I can tell you about the one I played earlier to summon the storm; it’s called the Song of Storms. I learned it from a man in a windmill hut over in Kakariko Village who told me a boy with an ocarina had taught it to him seven years before. I then had to go back in time and teach the song to him so that I could learn it in the first place!”

Warrior, as someone who had to work quite hard to fix the timestream, was completely flabbergasted. “What? Time, that a paradox! We’re supposed to avoid those!”

In the background, Legend rolled his eyes. “I guess we’re not talking about who or what he meant by immortal children,” he muttered under his breath, slightly peeved that his question was ignored completely. In response, he received a glare from Twilight that seemed to say ‘It’s his business, he doesn’t have to explain.’

Meanwhile, Time waved Warrior off. “There’s no need to worry. I found the true origin of the song a few years later.”

They waited for him to elaborate, but no explanation seemed forthcoming. To break the silence, Sky asked, “What’s your favorite magic song?”  


“The Song of Time and Zelda’s Lullaby were extremely important to my quest, but my favorite would have to be Epona’s Song,” Time turned to grin at his wife. “It’s Malon’s family’s song, and she taught it to me when we were children. When she was younger, it gave Epona the ability to come to wherever I was so long as I played that song.”

“But now she’s no longer the spry warhorse she once was, so we try to keep her on the ranch,” Malon added. “We’re teaching one of Epona’s granddaughters to respond to it now, but she doesn’t quite have the hang of it yet.”

As dinner came to an end, the conversation began to lull. Sensing the opportunity, Wind asked, “Can you play Epona’s Song for us?”  
“Well, I suppose we’re done eating. Would you sing Malon? I’ll play along.” Time pushed back his chair and stood, retrieving the Ocarina of Time from his adventure pouch.

“Of course! Just remember not to put magic into it, we don’t want to bother Epona this late!” Malon teased, joining him as they moved away from the crowded table into the adjacent kitchen area where there was plenty of open space to stand and perform.

Time brought the ocarina to his lips and began playing a short introduction. With a slight nod, he indicated his wife’s entrance and the duet truly began. The ocarina and Malon’s voice placed a spell upon the audience; they were truly entranced by the duet. But like all good things, the song soon came to an end. Malon dropped out first as she finished the last verse. The ocarina played the final notes of an epilogue, and the group was left in silence.

Legend was misty-eyed as he remembered duets of his own, where he played the ocarina as the backdrop to another redhead’s song. Not trusting his voice, he merely applauded while the others gave the husband and wife duo a host of praise.

Likewise, Wild too was lost in thought. Her knew he had heard Epona’s Song before, but where…? “That’s it!”

“What’s ‘it’?”

Wild startled for a moment at Hyrule’s question. The entire room had turned to look in his direction at the outburst. Cheeks slightly reddening where they were not covered by scar tissue, he explained, “I’ve heard that song before in my Hyrule, I just couldn’t remember where. My friend Kass is a travelling bard, and he always plays it when he’s passing through one of the stables.”

Malon glowed and clasped her hands in excitement. She opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by Twilight.

“Epona’s Song is well known in Ordon Village in my time. Ilia named my Epona after the song when we were kids, and she learned to come whenever I play the song on my Horse Call.” Twilight rifled through his bag for a moment before presenting the group with the U-shaped instrument given to him by his childhood friend, Ilia.

Malon and Time smiled at each other, before setting their sights on their legacy. “It’s been hundreds, if not thousands, years between our times and yours! It’s amazing that my family song has survived for so long! Although someday you’ll have to return to your times for good, whenever you hear Epona’s Song I hope you’ll remember that you’ll always be a part of our family.”

“Malon…” The heroes were surprised by her words, Time in particular.

“Oh, don’t you start Link,” she admonished her blushing husband. “I know you’ve come to see these boys as family. You would never have let your guard down around them otherwise, especially after Termina. It took years for you to let go of all of your masks for me, and you’ve been able to share so much with these boys in only a few months. I’m happy that you’ve found more people you can trust.”

After her announcement, Wind shot forward and enveloped the couple in a hug. Wild followed closely on his heels, and when Wind proclaimed, “Group hug!” the rest of the crew quickly joined the party.

* * *

A few minutes later, the hug had been broken apart and the heroes began helping clean up from dinner. Legend and Hyrule began by washing and drying the pots and pans, while Sky and Wind brought over the plates, cups, and utensils. After the cookware had been washed, Time and Twilight took over to clean the dishes as Four and Warrior cleaned the table and countertops. At the heroes’ insistence, the chefs merely watched and provided minimal direction as to where items should be stored since they had cooked dinner.

Once the various post-dinner tasks had been completed, Time offered to play a few more of the magic songs he knew for the group.

“Will you play the song you mentioned earlier?” Hyrule asked.

“The Song of Storms? I can start with that one.” Time brought his ocarina to his lips once more and began playing the song which he had introduced to the group as a prank, but had caused him to open up more to the boys who had quickly become a part of his family.

* * *

**Bonus:** __  
_ _

In the guestroom Time and Malon had set up for the visiting heroes, Warrior cursed out of nowhere, startling the room’s inhabitants.

The other heroes jumped, reaching for swords that weren’t present while they accessed the room for a threat. “What’s wrong?” Hyrule lowered his arm, preparing to cast magic since his sword was not present, but finding no obvious danger.

“The Old Man offered to help me get the mud out of my tunic since it was his fault, but he’s already gone to bed!” Warrior complained. “I have to get it out tonight or it might stain!”

“I guess you’ll have to take care of it on your own then,” Legend pointed out. The room burst into laughter while Warrior trudged out of the door to take care of his laundry.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you all enjoyed this! It’s been awhile since I’ve written any fiction, and before that I rarely shared my writing with anyone, so I apologize if it’s a bit clunky! Please let me know what you thought! I’d love to hear your feedback!


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